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This chapter includes the following sections:
![]() Note |
If you do not follow this order, the firmware upgrade may fail and the servers may experience communication issues with Cisco UCS Manager. |
The order of steps in this document and the recommended options minimize the disruption to data traffic. Therefore, when you upgrade from any version of release 1.4 to a later version of release 1.4, upgrade the components in the following order.
This step is optional.
When you upgrade a Cisco UCS instance, Cisco UCS Manager restarts the components to complete the upgrade process. This restart causes events that are identical to service disruptions and component failures that trigger Call Home alerts to be sent. If you do not disable Call Home before you begin the upgrade, you can ignore the alerts generated by the upgrade-related component restarts.
![]() Caution |
Do not remove the hardware that contains the endpoint or perform any maintenance on it until the update process has completed. If the hardware is removed or otherwise unavailable due to maintenance, the firmware update fails. This failure may corrupt the backup partition. You cannot update the firmware on an endpoint with a corrupted backup partition. |
This procedure describes how to update the firmware on all of these endpoints in a Cisco UCS system simultaneously. Before you begin this procedure, answer the following questions to determine the appropriate type of upgrade for each of these endpoints:
Even if you answered yes to either of the last two questions above, you can use this procedure to update the I/O modules and any servers for which you answered no.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab. |
Step 2 | On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node. |
Step 3 | In the Work pane, click the Firmware Management tab. |
Step 4 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Update Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
Step 5 |
In the Update Firmware dialog box, do the following:
Cisco UCS Manager copies the selected firmware image to the backup memory partition and verifies that the image is not corrupt. The image remains as the backup version until you explicitly activate it. Cisco UCS Manager begins all updates at the same time. However, some updates may complete at different times. The update is complete when the Update Firmware dialog box displays ready in the Update Status column for all updated endpoints. |
Step 6 | When all updates are completed, click OK. |
Activate the firmware.
This procedure ensures that the firmware activation for these endpoints causes minimal disruption to data traffic. If you do not activate the endpoints in the following order with the correct options configured, the endpoints may reboot and cause a temporary disruption in data traffic.
![]() Caution |
Do not select ALL from the Filter drop-down list in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate all endpoints simultaneously. Many firmware releases and patches have dependencies that require the endpoints to be activated in a specific order for the firmware update to succeed. This order can change depending upon the contents of the release or patch. Activating all endpoints does not guarantee that the updates occur in the required order and can disrupt communications between the endpoints, the fabric interconnects, and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about the dependencies in a specific release or patch, see the release notes provided with that release or patch. |
This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the Firmware Management tab.
Step 1 |
In the Installed Firmware tab, choose Activate Firmware. If one or more of the selected endpoints are not configured with the desired version as the backup version, Cisco UCS Manager GUI does not display that version in the Set Version drop-down list. You must select the version from the Startup Version column for each individual endpoint. |
Step 2 |
If the adapter firmware is not updated through a host firmware package in a service profile, do the following in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate the adapter firmware:
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Step 3 |
If the CIMC firmware is not updated through a management firmware package in a service profile, do the following in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate the CIMC firmware:
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Step 4 | Click OK. |
Only certain servers, such as the Cisco UCS B440 High Performance blade server and the Cisco UCS B230 blade server, have board controller firmware. The board controller firmware controls many of the server functions, including eUSBs, LEDs, and I/O connectors.
This procedure continues from the previous one and assumes that you are on the Installed Firmware tab.
![]() Note |
This activation procedure causes the server to reboot. Depending upon whether or not the service profile associated with the server includes a maintenance policy, the reboot can occur immediately. To reduce the number of times a server needs to be rebooted during the upgrade process, we recommend that you upgrade the board controller firmware through the host firmware package in the service profile. |
Step 1 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
Step 2 |
From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar of the Activate Firmware dialog box, select Board Controller. Cisco UCS Manager GUI displays all servers that have board controllers in the Activate Firmware dialog box. |
Step 3 | From the Set Version drop-down list on the menu bar of the Activate Firmware dialog box, choose the board controller firmware version included in the Release 1.4(3) firmware bundle. |
Step 4 | Check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box. |
Step 5 | Click OK. |
This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the Firmware Management tab.
Step 1 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
Step 2 | From the Filter drop-down list, choose UCS Manager. |
Step 3 | On the UCS Manager row of the Activate Firmware dialog box, do the following: |
Step 4 |
Click OK. Cisco UCS Manager disconnects all active sessions, logs out all users, and activates the software. When the upgrade is complete, you are prompted to log back in. |
This procedure ensures that the firmware activation for these endpoints causes minimal disruption to data traffic. If you do not activate the endpoints in the following order with the correct options configured, the endpoints may reboot and cause a temporary disruption in data traffic.
![]() Caution |
Do not select ALL from the Filter drop-down list in the Activate Firmware dialog box to activate all endpoints simultaneously. Many firmware releases and patches have dependencies that require the endpoints to be activated in a specific order for the firmware update to succeed. This order can change depending upon the contents of the release or patch. Activating all endpoints does not guarantee that the updates occur in the required order and can disrupt communications between the endpoints, the fabric interconnects, and Cisco UCS Manager. For information about the dependencies in a specific release or patch, see the release notes provided with that release or patch. |
This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the Firmware Management tab.
Step 1 |
In the Installed Firmware tab, choose Activate Firmware. If one or more of the selected endpoints are not configured with the desired version as the backup version, Cisco UCS Manager GUI does not display that version in the Set Version drop-down list. You must select the version from the Startup Version column for each individual endpoint. |
Step 2 |
To activate the IOM firmware, do the following in the Activate Firmware dialog box:
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Step 3 | When the Activate Status column for all IOMs displays pending-next-boot, click OK. |
Activating the Fabric Interconnect Firmware for a Cluster Configuration
Determine which fabric interconnect in the cluster is the subordinate fabric interconnect. For more information, see Verifying the High Availability Status and Roles of a Cluster Configuration.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab. | ||||||||
Step 2 | On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node. | ||||||||
Step 3 | In the Work pane, click the Firmware Management tab. | ||||||||
Step 4 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
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Step 5 | From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar, choose Fabric Interconnects. | ||||||||
Step 6 | On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box. | ||||||||
Step 7 | On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the subordinate fabric interconnect, do the following: | ||||||||
Step 8 |
Click Apply. Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/O module in the data path to that fabric interconnect, disrupting data traffic to and from that fabric interconnect. However, assuming the Cisco UCS instance is configured to permit traffic and port failover, data traffic fails over to the primary fabric interconnect and is not disrupted. |
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Step 9 |
Verify the high availability status of the subordinate fabric interconnect.
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If the high availability status of the subordinate fabric interconnect contains the required values, update and activate the primary fabric interconnect.
Before you continue to the next step in the upgrade, you must verify that the data path for the new the primary fabric interconnect has been restored and is ready to handle data traffic.
When you upgrade a Cisco UCS that includes dynamic vNICs and an integration with VMware vCenter, you must verify that all dynamic VNICs are up and running on the new primary fabric interconnect before you activate the new software on the former primary fabric interconnect to avoid data path disruption.
Perform this step in the Cisco UCS Manager GUI.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the VM tab. |
Step 2 | On the VM tab, expand . |
Step 3 | Expand the virtual machine for which you want to verify the dynamic vNICs and choose a dynamic vNIC. |
Step 4 | In the Work pane, click the VIF tab. |
Step 5 | On the VIF tab, verify that the Status column for each VIF is Online. |
Step 6 | Repeat Steps 3 through 5 until you have verified that the VIFs for all dynamic vNICs on all virtual machines have a status of Online. |
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos {a | b} | Enters NX-OS mode for the fabric interconnect. |
Step 2 | UCS-A(nxos)# show int br | grep -v down | wc –1 | Returns the number of active Ethernet interfaces. Verify that this number matches the number of Ethernet interfaces that were up prior to the upgrade. |
Step 3 | UCS-A(nxos)# show platform fwm info hw-stm | grep '1.' | wc –1 | Returns the total number of MAC addresses. Verify that this number matches the number of MAC addresses prior to the upgrade. |
The following example returns the number of active Ethernet interfaces and MAC addresses for subordinate fabric interconnect A so that you can verify that the Ethernet data path for that fabric interconnect is up and running:
UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos a UCS-A(nxos)# show int br | grep -v down | wc -l 86 UCS-A(nxos)# show platform fwm info hw-stm | grep '1.' | wc -l 80
For best results when upgrading a Cisco UCS instance, we recommend that you perform this task before you begin the upgrade and after you activate the subordinate fabric interconnect, and then compare the two results.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos {a | b} | Enters NX-OS mode for the fabric interconnect. |
Step 2 | UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table | Displays a table of flogi sessions. |
Step 3 | UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table | grep fc | wc -1 | Returns the number of servers logged into the fabric interconnect. The output should match the output you received when you performed this verification prior to beginning the upgrade. |
The following example displays the flogi-table and number of servers logged into subordinate fabric interconnect A so that you can verify that the Fibre Channel data path for that fabric interconnect in Fibre Channel End-Host mode is up and running:
UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos a UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SERVER EXTERNAL INTERFACE VSAN FCID PORT NAME NODE NAME INTERFACE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vfc705 700 0x69000a 20:00:00:25:b5:27:03:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:03:00 fc3/1 vfc713 700 0x690009 20:00:00:25:b5:27:07:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:07:00 fc3/1 vfc717 700 0x690001 20:00:00:25:b5:27:08:01 20:00:00:25:b5:27:08:00 fc3/1 Total number of flogi = 3. UCS-A(nxos)# show npv flogi-table | grep fc | wc -l 3
For best results when upgrading a Cisco UCS instance, we recommend that you perform this task before you begin the upgrade and after you activate the subordinate fabric interconnect, and then compare the two results.
Command or Action | Purpose | |
---|---|---|
Step 1 | UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos {a | b} | Enters NX-OS mode for the fabric interconnect. |
Step 2 | UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database | Displays a table of flogi sessions. |
Step 3 | UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database | grep –I fc | wc –1 | Returns the number of servers logged into the fabric interconnect. The output should match the output you received when you performed this verification prior to beginning the upgrade. |
The following example displays the flogi-table and number of servers logged into subordinate fabric interconnect A so that you can verify that the Fibre Channel data path for that fabric interconnect in Fibre Channel End-Host mode is up and running:
UCS-A /fabric-interconnect # connect nxos a UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERFACE VSAN FCID PORT NAME NODE NAME -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vfc726 800 0xef0003 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:00 vfc728 800 0xef0007 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:04 20:00:00:25:b5:26:07:00 vfc744 800 0xef0004 20:00:00:25:b5:26:03:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:03:00 vfc748 800 0xef0005 20:00:00:25:b5:26:04:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:04:00 vfc764 800 0xef0006 20:00:00:25:b5:26:05:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:05:00 vfc768 800 0xef0002 20:00:00:25:b5:26:02:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:02:00 vfc772 800 0xef0000 20:00:00:25:b5:26:06:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:06:00 vfc778 800 0xef0001 20:00:00:25:b5:26:01:02 20:00:00:25:b5:26:01:00 Total number of flogi = 8. UCS-A(nxos)# show flogi database | grep fc | wc -l 8
This procedure continues directly from the previous one and assumes you are on the Firmware Management tab.
Activate the subordinate fabric interconnect.
Step 1 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
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Step 2 | From the Filter drop-down list on the menu bar, choose Fabric Interconnects. | ||||||||
Step 3 | On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box. | ||||||||
Step 4 | On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the primary fabric interconnect, do the following: | ||||||||
Step 5 |
Click Apply. Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/O module in the data path to that fabric interconnect, disrupting data traffic to and from that fabric interconnect. However, assuming the Cisco UCS instance is configured to permit traffic and port failover, data traffic fails over to the other fabric interconnect, which becomes the primary. When it comes back up, this fabric interconnect is the subordinate fabric interconnect. |
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Step 6 |
Verify the high availability status of the fabric interconnect.
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For a standalone configuration with a single fabric interconnect, you can minimize the disruption to data traffic when you perform a direct firmware upgrade of the endpoints. However, you must reboot the fabric interconnect to complete the upgrade and, therefore, cannot avoid disrupting traffic.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Equipment tab. |
Step 2 | On the Equipment tab, click the Equipment node. |
Step 3 | In the Work pane, click the Firmware Management tab. |
Step 4 |
On the Installed Firmware subtab, click Activate Firmware. Cisco UCS Manager GUI opens the Update Firmware dialog box and verifies the firmware versions for all endpoints in the Cisco UCS instance. This step may take a few minutes, depending upon the number of chassis and servers. |
Step 5 | From the Filter drop-down list, choose Fabric Interconnects. |
Step 6 | On the menu bar, check the Ignore Compatibility Check check box. |
Step 7 | On the row of the Activate Firmware dialog box for the fabric interconnect, do the following: |
Step 8 | Click OK. |
Cisco UCS Manager activates the firmware and reboots the fabric interconnect and any I/O module in the data path to that fabric interconnect. For a standalone fabric interconnect, this disrupts all data traffic in the Cisco UCS instance.
Updating Host and Management Firmware Packages
To update firmware through a host firmware package or a management firmware package, you need to update the firmware in the package. What happens after you save the changes to a host or management firmware package depends upon how the Cisco UCS instance is configured.
The following table describes the most common options for upgrading servers with a host or management firmware package.
![]() Note |
Maintenance policies are available in Cisco UCS, Release 1.4 and later. |
Service Profile | Maintenance Policy | Upgrade Actions | ||
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Host or management firmware package is not included in a service profile or an updating service profile template. OR You want to upgrade the firmware without making any changes to the existing service profile or updating service profile template. |
No maintenance policy |
After you update the firmware package, do one of the following:
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Host or management firmware package is included in one or more service profiles, and the service profiles are associated with one or more servers. OR Host or management firmware package is included in an updating service profile template, and the service profiles created from that template are associated with one or more servers. |
No maintenance policy OR A maintenance policy configured for immediate updates. |
The following occurs when you update the firmware package:
All servers associated with service profiles that include the firmware package are rebooted at the same time. |
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Host or management firmware package is included in one or more service profiles, and the service profiles are associated with one or more servers. OR Host or management firmware package is included in an updating service profile template, and the service profiles created from that template are associated with one or more servers. |
Configured for user acknowledgment |
The following occurs when you update the firmware package:
A manual reboot of the servers does not cause Cisco UCS Manager to apply the firmware package, nor does it cancel the pending activities. You must acknowledge or cancel the pending activity through the Pending Activities button. |
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Host or management firmware package is included in one or more service profiles, and the service profiles are associated with one or more servers. OR Host or management firmware package is included in an updating service profile template, and the service profiles created from that template are associated with one or more servers. |
Configured for changes to take effect during a specific maintenance window. |
The following occurs when you update the firmware package:
A manual reboot of the servers does not cause Cisco UCS Manager to apply the firmware package, nor does it cancel the scheduled maintenance activities. |
If the policy is included in one or more service profiles associated with a server and those service profiles do not include maintenance policies, Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the management firmware in the server with the new versions and reboots the server as soon as you save the management firmware package policy
Ensure that the appropriate firmware has been downloaded to the fabric interconnect.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab. |
Step 2 | On the Servers tab, expand . |
Step 3 |
Expand the node for the organization that includes the policy you want to update. If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node. |
Step 4 | Expand Management Firmware Packages and choose the policy you want to update. |
Step 5 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. |
Step 6 | In the table on the right, do the following to delete the existing entry for the firmware you want to update: |
Step 7 |
In the CIMC Firmware Packages section on the left:
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Step 8 | If you need to include CIMC firmware for servers with different model numbers (PIDs) in this management firmware package, repeat Step 6. |
Step 9 |
Click Save Changes. Cisco UCS Manager verifies the model numbers and vendor against all servers associated with service profiles that include this policy. If the model numbers and vendor match a firmware version in the policy, Cisco UCS Manager updates the firmware according to the settings in the maintenance policies included in the service profiles. |
You must upgrade the BIOS and storage controller firmware through the host firmware package when you upgrade to Release 1.4(3). If you do not upgrade those packages, the servers may experience communication issues with Cisco UCS Manager and the CIMC.
![]() Caution |
If the policy is included in one or more service profiles associated with a server and those service profiles do not include maintenance policies, Cisco UCS Manager updates and activates the firmware in the server and adapter with the new versions and reboots the server as soon as you save the host firmware package policy. |
This procedure assumes that the host firmware package already exists and that you have upgraded Cisco UCS Manager to Release 1.4(2). For information on how to create a host firmware package or on how to update an existing one in a previous release , see the appropriate Cisco UCS Manager GUI Configuration Guide for the release that Cisco UCS Manager is running.
Before you update a host firmware package, do the following:
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Servers tab. |
Step 2 | On the Servers tab, expand . |
Step 3 |
Expand the node for the organization that includes the policy you want to update. If the system does not include multitenancy, expand the root node. |
Step 4 | Expand Host Firmware Packages and choose the policy you want to update. |
Step 5 |
On each subtab of the General tab, do the following for each type of firmware you want to include in the package:
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Step 6 |
Click Save Changes. Cisco UCS Manager verifies the model numbers and vendor against all servers associated with service profiles that include this policy. If the model numbers and vendor match a firmware version in the policy, Cisco UCS Manager updates the firmware according to the settings in the maintenance policies included in the service profiles. |
Verify that the firmware on the endpoints included in the host firmware package has been updated to Release 1.4(3). If the firmware has not been updated, check the model numbers and vendors in the host firmware package against those on the endpoints that were not updated.
This step is optional. You only need to enable Call Home if you disabled it before you began the firmware upgrades.
Step 1 | In the Navigation pane, click the Admin tab. | ||
Step 2 | On the Admin tab, expand . | ||
Step 3 | In the Work pane, click the General tab. | ||
Step 4 |
In the Admin area, click on in the State field.
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Step 5 | Click Save Changes. |